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FuzzyRussianHat · 03-23-2025, 06:15 PM

The 2028 Hal of Fame ballot for Chinese League Baseball was a weak one with only three guys getting above 30%. SP Liqiang Yang was the lone inductee with 67.0% on his sixth ballot, sneaking beyond the 66% requirement. 1B Xugang Zheng was the best debut at 57.2%. SS Jiyu Liu was the other guy above 50% with 52.3% on his third go. No players were dropped after ten failed ballots.

Liqiang “Pudge” Yang – Starting Pitcher – Xi’an Attack – 67.0% Sixth Ballot

Liqiang Yang was a 6’4’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Jiutai, China; a district of around 611,000 within Changchun in the country’s northeast. Nicknamed “Pudge,” Yang had excellent control along with above average-to-good stuff and movement. His fastball peaked in the 96-98 mph range and was part of a four-pitch arsenal that included a curveball, changeup, and splitter.

Yang had strong stamina and good durability until suffering a major injury at age 31. He had a decent pickoff move, but was weak defensively. Yang was loyal and adaptable, traits that served him over his 14-year career. He soared up prospect rankings by the time he was eligible for the 2006 CLB Draft. Yang was the #1 pick by Xi’an and spent his entire CLB career with the Attack.

He had promising results as a part-time starter in his rookie year, but did look iffy in his full-time rotation debut in 2008. Yang put it together in year three and was worth 4+ WAR each year after. He led the Northern League four times in complete games, twice in shutouts, and once in innings. Yang never led one of the major stats, but did notably strikeout 303 in 2013. He took third in Pitcher of the Year voting in both 2011 and 2012. Yang’s lone no-hitter came on June 7, 2014 with 10 Ks and one walk facing Urumqi.

Xi’an ended an 11-year playoff drought in 2012 and had the top seed at 101-61, although they fell in the round robin. The Attack missed the playoffs in 2013, but made it to the China Series in both 2014 and 2015. Xi’an fell to Shantou in the 2014 final, but won it all in 2015 against Nanning. They hovered around .500 for the rest of Yang’s tenure.

Yang was strong in 72 playoff innings for the Attack with a 1.25 ERA, 74 strikeouts, 4-0 record, 1 save, 187 ERA+, and 0.8 WAR. Although Xi’an was merely 8-11 in the 2015 Baseball Grand Championship, Yang fared well with a 1.95 ERA over 37 innings, 3-0 record, 26 strikeouts, 204 ERA+, and 1.5 WAR. His reputation as a big-game pitcher helped get his #2 uniform eventually retired by the Attack.

After the 2014 season, Yang signed a three-year, $37,300,000 extension with Xi’an. 2017 was his next contract year, but his season ended in early August on a damaged elbow ligament. This put Yang’s career in doubt and the Attack opted not to re-sign him. The other teams in CLB had the same concerns and the now 32-year old Yang had to look internationally to keep pitching.

Yang signed in June 2018 with Kyiv of the European Baseball Federation, who hoped to have him for the second half. He had a setback in the summer that extended the timeline by two more months. Yang did finally debut in the final weeks for the Kings and looked good with a 1.86 ERA over 19.1 innings and three starts. That prompted Hanover to sign him to a $12,600,000, two year deal.

He ate 234 innings in 2019 for the Hitmen for 2.2 WAR, but had a weak 4.42 ERA. Yang fared worse early in 2020 and was part of a five-player trade in June to Cluj-Napoca. He was split between relief and starting and was respectable for the Paladins, although he gave up six runs over 7.2 playoff innings. For his combined EBF runs, Yang had a 21-26 record, 4.07 ERA, 433.2 innings, 315 strikeouts, 92 walks, 95 ERA+, and 3.0 WAR.

Yang felt he could still contribute and again put out worldwide feelers. Puerto Rico ended up biting on a one-year, $5,600,000 deal. He tossed 68 innings for the Pelicans with 0.3 WAR and a 3.84 ERA. Yang still wanted to pitch in 2022, but teams could find younger and cheaper arms to get replacement level production. He retired shortly after his 37^th birthday.

For Xi’an, Yang had a 155-125 record, 2.08 ERA, 2664.2 innings, 2599 strikeouts, 449 walks, 119 ERA+, 83 FIP-, and 53.9 WAR. As of 2037, Yang ranks 26^th in wins, 22^nd in innings, 43^rd in strikeouts, and 65^th in pitching WAR. His ERA ranks 87^th among pitchers with 1000+ innings. Yang’s production was good, but he never felt elite to many voters since he lacked big strikeout dominance. A shorter career and no Pitcher of the Year awards also worked against him.

Supporters noted he had pretty nice tallies despite only an 11-year run. Yang was seemingly well on pace for Hall of Fame clinching stats if not for the big injury. His biggest asset was strong playoff stats, helping Xi’an earn two finals berths and one championship.

Still, Yang was a borderline candidate and debuted at 53.3% in 2023. He was at 59.7%, 60.4%, and 55.7% the following three years. In 2027, Yang missed the 66% cutoff barely at 65.1%. He didn’t win many voters over in 2028, but the weak overall field helped him just cross the line at 67.0%. With that, Yang was a sixth ballot inductee and the lone addition for Chinese League Baseball’s HOF in 2028.

03-23-2025, 06:15 PM	#2166
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,963	2028 CLB Hall of Fame The 2028 Hal of Fame ballot for Chinese League Baseball was a weak one with only three guys getting above 30%. SP Liqiang Yang was the lone inductee with 67.0% on his sixth ballot, sneaking beyond the 66% requirement. 1B Xugang Zheng was the best debut at 57.2%. SS Jiyu Liu was the other guy above 50% with 52.3% on his third go. No players were dropped after ten failed ballots. Liqiang “Pudge” Yang – Starting Pitcher – Xi’an Attack – 67.0% Sixth Ballot Liqiang Yang was a 6’4’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Jiutai, China; a district of around 611,000 within Changchun in the country’s northeast. Nicknamed “Pudge,” Yang had excellent control along with above average-to-good stuff and movement. His fastball peaked in the 96-98 mph range and was part of a four-pitch arsenal that included a curveball, changeup, and splitter. Yang had strong stamina and good durability until suffering a major injury at age 31. He had a decent pickoff move, but was weak defensively. Yang was loyal and adaptable, traits that served him over his 14-year career. He soared up prospect rankings by the time he was eligible for the 2006 CLB Draft. Yang was the #1 pick by Xi’an and spent his entire CLB career with the Attack. He had promising results as a part-time starter in his rookie year, but did look iffy in his full-time rotation debut in 2008. Yang put it together in year three and was worth 4+ WAR each year after. He led the Northern League four times in complete games, twice in shutouts, and once in innings. Yang never led one of the major stats, but did notably strikeout 303 in 2013. He took third in Pitcher of the Year voting in both 2011 and 2012. Yang’s lone no-hitter came on June 7, 2014 with 10 Ks and one walk facing Urumqi. Xi’an ended an 11-year playoff drought in 2012 and had the top seed at 101-61, although they fell in the round robin. The Attack missed the playoffs in 2013, but made it to the China Series in both 2014 and 2015. Xi’an fell to Shantou in the 2014 final, but won it all in 2015 against Nanning. They hovered around .500 for the rest of Yang’s tenure. Yang was strong in 72 playoff innings for the Attack with a 1.25 ERA, 74 strikeouts, 4-0 record, 1 save, 187 ERA+, and 0.8 WAR. Although Xi’an was merely 8-11 in the 2015 Baseball Grand Championship, Yang fared well with a 1.95 ERA over 37 innings, 3-0 record, 26 strikeouts, 204 ERA+, and 1.5 WAR. His reputation as a big-game pitcher helped get his #2 uniform eventually retired by the Attack. After the 2014 season, Yang signed a three-year, $37,300,000 extension with Xi’an. 2017 was his next contract year, but his season ended in early August on a damaged elbow ligament. This put Yang’s career in doubt and the Attack opted not to re-sign him. The other teams in CLB had the same concerns and the now 32-year old Yang had to look internationally to keep pitching. Yang signed in June 2018 with Kyiv of the European Baseball Federation, who hoped to have him for the second half. He had a setback in the summer that extended the timeline by two more months. Yang did finally debut in the final weeks for the Kings and looked good with a 1.86 ERA over 19.1 innings and three starts. That prompted Hanover to sign him to a $12,600,000, two year deal. He ate 234 innings in 2019 for the Hitmen for 2.2 WAR, but had a weak 4.42 ERA. Yang fared worse early in 2020 and was part of a five-player trade in June to Cluj-Napoca. He was split between relief and starting and was respectable for the Paladins, although he gave up six runs over 7.2 playoff innings. For his combined EBF runs, Yang had a 21-26 record, 4.07 ERA, 433.2 innings, 315 strikeouts, 92 walks, 95 ERA+, and 3.0 WAR. Yang felt he could still contribute and again put out worldwide feelers. Puerto Rico ended up biting on a one-year, $5,600,000 deal. He tossed 68 innings for the Pelicans with 0.3 WAR and a 3.84 ERA. Yang still wanted to pitch in 2022, but teams could find younger and cheaper arms to get replacement level production. He retired shortly after his 37^th birthday. For Xi’an, Yang had a 155-125 record, 2.08 ERA, 2664.2 innings, 2599 strikeouts, 449 walks, 119 ERA+, 83 FIP-, and 53.9 WAR. As of 2037, Yang ranks 26^th in wins, 22^nd in innings, 43^rd in strikeouts, and 65^th in pitching WAR. His ERA ranks 87^th among pitchers with 1000+ innings. Yang’s production was good, but he never felt elite to many voters since he lacked big strikeout dominance. A shorter career and no Pitcher of the Year awards also worked against him. Supporters noted he had pretty nice tallies despite only an 11-year run. Yang was seemingly well on pace for Hall of Fame clinching stats if not for the big injury. His biggest asset was strong playoff stats, helping Xi’an earn two finals berths and one championship. Still, Yang was a borderline candidate and debuted at 53.3% in 2023. He was at 59.7%, 60.4%, and 55.7% the following three years. In 2027, Yang missed the 66% cutoff barely at 65.1%. He didn’t win many voters over in 2028, but the weak overall field helped him just cross the line at 67.0%. With that, Yang was a sixth ballot inductee and the lone addition for Chinese League Baseball’s HOF in 2028. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)